What is a Smart Thermostat?

Home heating has changed. Since the debut of Google’s Nest in 2011, millions of eco-conscious and budget-minded homeowners have adopted smart thermostats in their homes.

But what makes a smart thermostat so ‘smart’? And can it really save you money?

Heating accounts for 63% of the energy use in the average Canadian home – more than all the appliances and lighting combined. Your home heating system takes up over half your yearly energy bill.

The simplest way to cut that cost is lowering the temperature in your home. You can shave 2% off your heating bill just by turning the heat down for a few hours a day, and you don’t have to compromise on comfort to do it.

About half of Canadian homes use programmable thermostats. A programmable thermostat lets you schedule the temperature to change automatically at a set time of day. That means you can turn down the heat when you are out of the house or asleep at night, when you won’t notice a few degrees’ difference.

The trouble is, 90% of homes with programmable thermostats don’t use them.

Tiny displays, poor instructions, and confusing controls make traditional thermostats frustrating. Not even techies can figure them out. Since they provide little to no feedback, it’s hard to tell if you’ve programmed it properly. Because of this, few people bother with the ‘programmable’ side of things at all.

Smart thermostats are different.

Smart thermostats are a completely new category of comfort management technology. Not only do they make programming a breeze, they’re packed with other features that save time and increase your energy efficiency.

A traditional thermostat tells you the temperature and not much else. Smart thermostats are full of useful data. They track usage history to give you real-time stats on your energy consumption. You can see when you’re using energy, how much you’re using, and what it costs.

While a smart thermostat doesn’t save money on its own, this information empowers you to use energy more efficiently. And you don’t have to squint at a tiny, wall-mounted screen to see it.

Smart thermostats use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology to deliver feedback directly to a device you already own. You can check your stats anytime, anywhere on your cell phone or computer. You can also adjust the settings on a Wi-Fi thermostat from anywhere in your home, or even when you are away.

Hear of a blizzard back home while you’re on vacation? Turn up the heat so your pipes don’t burst. Hit with a mid-afternoon heat wave at work? Switch on the air conditioning before you hit the road, and your house will be cool by the time you get home. If you wake up in the middle of a cold winter’s eve, you can adjust the temperature from the comfort of your cozy bed.

Whether you like to micromanage or prefer a hands-off approach, smart thermostats let you manage your home comfort effortlessly.

However, these devices really earn their title with their intuitive technology. Some models, like Google’s Nest thermostat, can read patterns. When you turn the temperature up in the morning and down at night, the Nest notices. From then on, it can make the adjustment for you. That’s the best in convenient home comfort.

Smart thermostats help you save money and make smart choices in your home. If you would like to turn up the heat and cut down your energy bill, learn more about installing a smart thermostat today.